Index of people
Related article: “When Baseball Seeks Its Center”
Includes players, teachers, coaches and authors important for the argument. Japanese names are given in Hepburn romanization with the original characters. Years are given where documented in the sources; a dash after the year of birth indicates a living person. The index does not replace the bibliography.
Transcription: Japanese names are given in Hepburn romanization in Western order (given name first); characters follow at the first significant mention. Chinese names follow the forms used by the persons themselves or by the sources (Taiwanese romanization or pinyin); Korean names follow revised romanization.
Japan – players, coaches and teachers
Koji Akiyama (秋山幸二; 1962–)Outfielder and manager of the Seibu Lions/SoftBank; associated with pitching and movement centered in the tanden.
Hiroshi Arakawa (荒川博; 1930–2016)NPB player and coach; teacher of Oh and Enomoto who carried aikido, sword work and ki into hitting.
Junichi Haga (羽賀準一; 1908–1966)Teacher of the Japanese sword; Arakawa studied iaidō under him.
Isao Harimoto (張本勲; 1940–)Legendary NPB hitter; commented on Enomoto’s motionless stance and swing timing.
Koju Hirohashi (広橋公寿)Seibu Lions player; documented with Ishige at a lesson in Tohei’s dojo in November 1982.
Tatsuro Hirooka (広岡達朗; 1932–)Former shortstop and successful manager; brought Tohei’s teaching of ki, stance and the body’s center into club training.
Seiya Hosokawa (細川成也; 1998–)Chunichi Dragons hitter; took part in a stability demonstration during Shinichi Tohei’s teaching in 2026.
Daisuke Ichikizaki (市来崎大祐; 1987–)Tai chi teacher; with Ryuji Tachibana prepared the exercises called yakyū taikyokuken.
Ryota Igarashi (五十嵐亮太; 1979–)NPB and MLB pitcher; spoke about the tanden and tried a pitching technique guided by attention to the lower abdomen.
Kazuhisa Inao (稲尾和久; 1937–2007)Nishitetsu Lions pitcher; described an unusually slowed perception of his own pitch.
Hironori Ishige (石毛宏典; 1956–)Seibu Lions infielder; described first-hand Koichi Tohei’s teaching with a wooden sword.
Takaya Ishikawa (石川昂弥; 2001–)Chunichi Dragons player present at Shinichi Tohei’s teaching in 2026.
Tsutomu Ito (伊東勤; 1962–)Seibu Lions catcher of the generation whose preparation manager Hirooka linked with martial arts.
Naruhito Kamiya (神谷成仁)Physical therapist who in 2003, together with Masumi Kuwata, discussed the movement principles of traditional training.
Tetsuharu Kawakami (川上哲治; 1920–2013)Hitter and manager of the Yomiuri Giants; his name is associated with the image of a ball seemingly standing still in the air.
Munenori Kawasaki (川崎宗則; 1981–)NPB and MLB player; publicly recalled his childhood karate training and its use in baseball.
Yasuo Kobayashi (小林保雄; 1936–)Aikido teacher and witness of Arakawa’s training at the Hombu Dojo in Tokyo.
Yoshinori Kono (甲野善紀; 1949–)Researcher of traditional martial techniques; at the Shōseikan he developed movement methods adopted by Masumi Kuwata.
Kimiyasu Kudo (工藤公康; 1963–)Seibu pitcher, later manager; built on Hirooka’s training and in 2026 invited Tohei to Chunichi.
Masumi Kuwata (桑田真澄; 1968–)Pitcher for the Yomiuri Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates; described the technical and defensive benefit of Kono’s training.
Shugo Maki (牧秀悟; 1998–)Yokohama DeNA BayStars hitter; used weapon drills, including sword exercises, to develop his swing.
Hideki Matsui (松井秀喜; 1974–)Star of the Yomiuri Giants and Yankees; author of the book Fudōshin (2007) on inner stability and emotions.
Hidetoshi Mitsuoka (光岡英稔; 1972–)Teacher of traditional Japanese and Chinese movement schools; taught Keizo Takahashi.
Shintaro Mizutani (水谷新太郎; 1953–)Yakult Swallows player (1974–1989); described morning breathing exercises and concentration on the tanden in the field and at bat.
Kazushige Nagashima (長嶋一茂; 1966–)Former NPB player; after his career he trained systematically in Kyokushin karate.
Shigeo Nagashima (長嶋茂雄; 1936–2025)Legendary Giants hitter; Tohei named him among the ballplayers he taught to work with ki.
Tempu Nakamura (中村天風; 1876–1968)Philosopher and founder of shinshin tōitsu-hō; Shohei Ohtani read his book Unmei wo Hiraku.
Shun Norikane (法兼駿; 1994–)Industrial-league player for Panasonic; as a child practiced Shorinji Kempo alongside baseball.
Sadaharu Oh (王貞治; 1940–)NPB home-run record holder; Arakawa’s pupil who trained with the sword, on one leg and with concentration on the tanden.
Shohei Ohtani (大谷翔平; 1994–)MLB hitter and pitcher; read Nakamura’s book on the unification of mind and body.
Kotaro Otake (大竹耕太郎; 1995–)Hanshin Tigers pitcher; regularly uses teaching derived from aikido, work with the bokken and attention.
Kazumi Saito (斉藤和巳; 1977–)NPB pitcher; in 2021 discussed the role of the tanden, breathing and intra-abdominal pressure.
Doshin So (宗道臣; 1911–1980)Founder of modern Japanese Shorinji Kempo in 1947.
Ryuji Tachibana (立花龍司; 1964–)Conditioning coach; collaborated on the baseball tai chi program.
Keizo Takahashi (高橋佳三; 1974–)Biomechanist and university researcher; studied the transfer of kobujutsu and Chinese Han Shi Yi Quan into pitching.
Koichi Tohei (藤平光一; 1920–2011)Aikido teacher and founder of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido; taught ballplayers ki and the unification of mind and body.
Shinichi Tohei (藤平信一; 1973–)Successor of Tohei’s school; led programs with the Dodgers, the Padres and, in 2026, the Chunichi Dragons.
Hatsuhiko Tsuji (辻発彦; 1958–)Seibu Lions infielder of Hirooka’s generation.
Morihei Ueshiba (植芝盛平; 1883–1969)Founder of aikido; his students included Arakawa and Koichi Tohei.
Kosuke Ukai (鵜飼航丞; 1999–)Chunichi Dragons player; took part in Tohei’s teaching in 2026.
Hisanobu Watanabe (渡辺久信; 1965–)Seibu pitcher and later manager; recalled visits to Tohei’s dojo.
Osamu Yada (矢田修; 1959–)Japanese movement trainer of Yoshinobu Yamamoto; Mookie Betts also adopted some of his coordination drills.
Tetsuto Yamada (山田哲人; 1992–)Yakult Swallows hitter; his swing timing was compared with Enomoto’s.
Tomonori Yamada (山田知規; born c. 1958)Father of Tetsuto Yamada; former Shorinji Kempo competitor who took part in his son’s baseball training.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto (山本由伸; 1998–)Pitcher for the Orix Buffaloes and Dodgers; uses special coordination training with his trainer.
Taiwan and other East Asian connections
Jackie Chan (1954–)Hong Kong actor and action-film star; Kuwata cited his films among his early movement inspirations.
Fan Man-Yun (范嫚紜; born c. 1988–1989)Taiwanese tai chi teacher with whom Chih-Wei Hu trained from 2014.
Gu Lin Ruei-Yang (古林睿煬; 2000–)Taiwanese professional pitcher listed among the clients of coach Tseng Hao-che.
Chih-Wei Hu (胡智為; 1993–)MLB and CPBL pitcher; spoke about the mental and physical benefits of tai chi and kendo.
Bruce Lee (1940–1973)Chinese-American actor and martial artist; his movement inspired the young Kuwata.
Lin Yueh-ping (林岳平; 1982–)Manager of the Uni-President Lions who commented on the contribution of sports-science coach Tseng.
Liu Chih-jung (劉致榮; 1999–)Pitcher from the circle of players Tseng Hao-che worked with.
Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸; 2003–)Taiwanese pitcher associated with Tseng Hao-che’s training work.
Tseng Hao-che (曾浩哲)Former Muay Thai competitor, later a sports-science and pitching-mechanics coach in the CPBL.
USA, Latin America and other Western figures
Willy Adames (1995–)Dominican MLB player; used boxing with Barry Larkin to work on hitting and self-confidence.
John Baker (1981–)Former MLB catcher, Brazilian jiu-jitsu student and head of mental-skills and player development in MLB.
Bobby BentonBoxing trainer who worked with the ballplayer Bubba Crosby.
Mookie Betts (1992–)Dodgers hitter; adopted some coordination exercises from Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s trainer.
Buddy Biancalana (1960–)Royals shortstop; described the subjective state of the zone during the 1985 World Series.
Bo Bichette (1998–)MLB player; included Muay Thai among his supplementary training disciplines.
Bob Boone (1947–2026)Legendary MLB catcher; linked kung fu and other martial training with endurance and resilience.
Larry Bowa (1945–)Phillies player and coach who went through Gus Hoefling’s conditioning.
Chris ByrdFormer boxing world champion; trained ballplayers Adrián González and Luis Cruz.
Steve Carlton (1944–)Four-time Cy Young winner; trained under Hoefling and spoke about recovery and endurance.
Sean Casey (1974–)Former MLB hitter and coach; assessed Giancarlo Stanton’s rhythm and relaxation.
Nick Castellanos (1992–)Phillies hitter; used Cameron Shayne’s movement teaching.
Francisco Cervelli (1986–)Venezuelan MLB catcher; published movement training with elements of capoeira.
Aroldis Chapman (1988–)Cuban MLB pitcher; published footage of boxing training.
Larry Christenson (1953–)Phillies pitcher and one of the players influenced by Hoefling’s training.
Alex CoraBoston Red Sox manager; commented on the transfer of wrestling movement into Caleb Durbin’s defense.
Bubba Crosby (1976–)MLB outfielder; linked boxing with foot speed, relaxation and the swing.
Luis Alfonso Cruz (1984–)Mexican MLB infielder; boxed under Chris Byrd with a focus on hitting mechanics.
Khris Davis (1987–)American MLB hitter; credited boxing with benefits for hand-eye coordination.
Caleb Durbin (2000–)MLB infielder; cited the benefit of wrestling for a low defensive stance and quick reactions.
Prince Fielder (1984–)MLB power hitter; used MMA for conditioning, coordination and explosiveness.
Carson Fulmer (1993–)MLB pitcher; earned a karate black belt in his youth and valued its discipline and mobility.
Yan Gomes (1987–)Brazilian-American MLB catcher; carried MMA into catching, footwork and hitting.
Adrián González (1982–)Mexican-American MLB hitter; linked hip rotation in boxing with the baseball swing.
Carlos González (1985–)Venezuelan MLB outfielder; participant in Barry Larkin’s teaching.
Shawn Green (1972–)MLB hitter and author of The Way of Baseball (2011); described a meditative hitting routine.
Gus Hoefling (1934/1935–2023)Teacher of Okinawan tomari-te and student of James Wing Woo; pioneer of Phillies conditioning from 1976.
Tommy Hunter (1986–)MLB pitcher; formerly a successful judoka who linked judo with calm and mental toughness.
Ruppert Jones (1955–)Two-time All-Star; said karate helped him unite mind and body in baseball.
Max Kepler (1993–)German MLB outfielder; commented on Shayne’s movement preparation with the Phillies.
Barry Larkin (1964–)Baseball Hall of Fame member; taught hitting through boxing combinations.
Francisco Lindor (1993–)Puerto Rican MLB shortstop; belonged to the circle of players trained by Barry Larkin.
Michael Lorenzen (1992–)MLB pitcher; worked with a Korean martial-arts teacher and a movement educator.
Russell Martin (1983–)Canadian MLB catcher; used MMA/Muay Thai for balance and body control.
Josef MartínezVenezuelan footballer who trained with catcher Francisco Cervelli.
Mark McGwire (1963–)Former MLB hitter and coach; worked on Adrián González’s hitting technique.
Aaron Nola (1993–)Phillies pitcher; described the effects of Shayne’s mobility and movement preparation.
Chris and Mark PerryRealmuto’s cousins; both two-time NCAA champions in collegiate wrestling.
Ido PortalIsraeli movement educator; worked with Michael Lorenzen on mechanics and body awareness.
J. T. Realmuto (1991–)MLB catcher; grew up in Oklahoma’s Smith wrestling family, nephew of two-time Olympic champion John Smith. He linked wrestling balance and mental toughness with catching.
Edwin Ríos (1994–)Puerto Rican hitter; described the mental benefit of boxing training under Barry Larkin.
Luis Robert Jr. (1997–)Cuban MLB outfielder; published boxing drills from his preparation.
Ellie Rodríguez (1946–2026)Puerto Rican MLB catcher; linked boxing footwork with catching and a quick throw.
Joe Ryan (1996–)Minnesota Twins pitcher; compared force transfer in Muay Thai and in the pitch.
Nolan Ryan (1947–)Legendary MLB pitcher; Ellie Rodríguez caught his fourth no-hitter in 1975.
Mike Schmidt (1949–)Legendary Phillies third baseman; one of the players prepared by Gus Hoefling.
Cameron ShayneTeacher of karate, taekwondo and BJJ; founder of Budokon, led the Phillies’ movement preparation.
John Smith (1965–)American freestyle wrestler, Realmuto’s uncle; Olympic champion in 1988 and 1992, four-time world champion and successful college coach.
Pat, Lee Roy and Mark SmithRealmuto’s uncles; Pat won four individual NCAA titles, Lee Roy an NCAA title and world silver, Mark repeated All-American honors.
Reggie Smith (1945–)Seven-time All-Star; after his time with Sadaharu Oh he used sword teaching with the Dodgers in 1989.
Giancarlo Stanton (1989–)MLB power hitter whose technique and relaxation were discussed by coach Sean Casey.
Walt Weiss (1963–)Former MLB shortstop and manager; long practiced taekwondo, MMA and jiu-jitsu.
Jesse Winker (1993–)MLB hitter; Larkin’s boxing drills helped him with the inner part of the strike zone.
James Wing Woo (1922–2014)Chinese-American teacher and founder of Wing Woo Gar; Gus Hoefling was among his early students.
Authors, historians and researchers
Thomas BlackwoodHistorian; author of the study Bushidō Baseball? (2008) on the cultural construction of baseball as a “way.”
Thomas BoswellAmerican journalist; wrote about Oh’s sword training and the American view of ki.
Mick CochraneWriter; author of an essay on Oh’s autobiography and spiritual discipline.
Rob GrayPsychologist of motor learning; studied the effect of conscious focus on the hitting of experienced players.
Yasuhide Kanazaki (金﨑泰英)Japanese historian of sport; analyzed spiritual education in student baseball.
William W. KellyAnthropologist; studied Sadaharu Oh’s pedagogy and the cultural history of Japanese baseball.
Kevin KerraneAuthor of Dollar Sign on the Muscle (1984), in which he recorded Roig’s mention of hara.
Takie Sugiyama LebraAnthropologist; described the cultural meaning of hara in the Japanese view of the person.
Gordon McAlpineCo-author of Shawn Green’s book The Way of Baseball (2011).
Gabriele MorgantiSports historian; co-author of a 2024 study on Japanese baseball and cultural influences.
Seijun Ninomiya (二宮清純)Japanese sports writer; reconstructed testimonies about Enomoto and compared present-day hitters.
Mitsuyoshi Okazaki (岡崎満義)Sports journalist; recorded recollections of altered time perception by Enomoto and Inao.
Anton Ambrose “Tony” Roig (1928–2010)American NPB player and later MLB scout; his remark about hara was the starting point of this study.
Yasuhiro Sakaue (坂上康博)Japanese sports historian; studied the links between modern sports culture and bushidō.
Yasufumi Suzuki (鈴木康史)Japanese historian of sport; wrote about Meiji-era baseball, play and discipline.
Robert WhitingAmerican journalist and author of books on baseball in Japan and its sociocultural setting.